With the arrival of three new teammates, at least three would be leaving, and there were sure to be even more departures.
After reaching the second round last season, they had garnered a lot of attention, just like Brezec became highly sought-after, the values of Karim Rush, Jumaine Jones, and Keith Bogans also increased.
Zhang Yang learned from Jordan that these teammates were all seeking more playing time during contract renewal discussions.
But with Alan Anderson showing potential to become a quality 3-and-D player and Matt Carroll being the best shooter on the team, guaranteed minutes would go to these two, making it difficult to retain those other players.
Melvin Ely even expressed directly that he did not want to renew his contract and preferred to test the free agency market. Jordan had already announced the team would renounce their right to match offers, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.
